


Hope In The Fear

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics), Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-27
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-10-11 10:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: The Bats carried Kryptonite for a reason, and Jon’s never been more grateful.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is literally all based on the [solicit for Superman 24](http://www.dccomics.com/comics/superman-2016/superman-24), and the fact that Pat Gleason’s already hinted that Damian’s in this arc too. Jon and Damian are older here, though. Maybe mid-teens? Late teens? 17/14? I dunno. Up to reader. Supplemental listening is ‘Saturn’ by Sleeping At Last. I don’t know why. Damian never once considered Jon’s solution as viable, obviously. 

“We’re too late.” Bruce breathed as he slammed on the brakes. Damian was already jumping from the car before his father had it in park. 

“We can’t be.” Damian whispered, even as he surveyed the scene. Clark on his hands and knees, barely holding himself up. Lois, trying to help him, sobbing. Jon, a few yards away, emitting a harsh green light, attempting to settle the harsh wind he’d somehow created too. Trying his best to control whatever this was, whatever was _hurting his father_ , but failing. Failing miserably. “We _can’t_ be.”

Bruce got out of the car, too. And for a moment they stood in silence. Then: “I’ll get Clark and Lois.”

“Of course.”

“Do…” And Batman’s voice cracked in worry. “…Do what you can for Superboy.”

Damian could only nod solemnly, even as he ran forward as fast as he could.

The wind was stronger than Damian thought, and it pushed him back more than once. But he kept going, telling himself he had to. Because he wouldn’t let Jon down. Not now, when he needed him most. 

Jon glanced up and saw him when he was halfway to him, and let out a pained wail. Damian noticed the tear tracks down his face then, as he jumped back, trying to put more distance between the two.

“No!” Jon screamed, as Damian continued towards him. “No, Damian, stay back! Go away! _Please!_ ”

“Not…” Damian grunted against the wind. “Not on your life, Jonathan.”

“I’ll hurt you.” Jon cried. “I’ll _hurt_ you like I’m hurting _Dad_. And I can’t, I _won’t_ -”

“That’s right you won’t.” Damian agreed. There was a scream behind him, and Damian glanced back. It was Clark, and he had collapsed into Batman and Lois’s arms, in a new wave of pain. He looked back to Jon. “You never could, we both know that.”

Jon was crying harder, watching his father struggle. “I’m going to kill him.” He whispered, barely audible over the wind as he lowered his head. “Oh, god, _Damian_ , I’m going to _kill_ him!”

“No you won’t.” Damian tried, even as he pushed at the wind. When he got close enough, he reached his hand out, and was grateful that, despite his turmoil, Jon grabbed it, and pulled him forward. “Batman will save him.”

Jon didn’t let go of Damian’s hand, even after he pulled the other almost flush against him. He didn’t look up either. Just used his other hand to cling to Damian’s utility belt.

“It’s okay.” Damian breathed, bringing his own free hand up to Jon’s face. “We’ll fix this.”

“You can’t.” Jon’s voice hitched as he leaned into Damian’s hand. Rocked his head closer to Damian’s throat. “We don’t even know what’s happening to me so you _can’t_.”

“We’re going to get your parents off-world.” Damian explained. “Up to the Watchtower. I’m going to take you back to the cave, in Gotham. We have a panic room there, that can withstand even Kryptonian powers. It won’t be comfortable, but it’ll keep you, and everyone else, safe. And I’ll stay with you in there, while Father runs his tests and figures out how to fix this.”

“I’ll hurt you.” Jon repeated, shaking his head.

And Damian couldn’t help but smile, run his thumb through a tear on Jon’s face. “You haven’t yet.” He reminded. “So I think our odds are pretty good.”

However, Jon just kept shaking his head. “No.” He whispered. “No, I…” Suddenly he squeezed Damian’s utility belt. “…Damian, kill me.”

Damian’s smile dropped, but he didn’t let go of Jon’s face or his hand. “No.”

“Please.” Jon rasped. His hand shifted to another pocket. “Kill me before I kill Dad. I can’t…if I kill him, I…” Another sob. “Just kill me before I hurt him anymore, Damian. I know you can. You carry Kryptonite all the time. Which pocket is it again…” His hand shifted to a third. “…This one?”

“No.” Damian repeated firmly, releasing Jon’s face to grab the hand on his belt. He attempted to pull Jon’s grip off, but it was ironclad. “Jonathan, I refuse. I would _never_ , and you know that. I would never-”

“Then I’ll do it myself.” Jon cried, tugging at the belt. “I can do it myself, just make sure Mom and Dad-”

Damian suddenly released both of Jon’s hands, and reached for a pocket on his back. 

The glow of the Kryptonite was brighter than the light Jon was currently emitting. 

“Thank you.” Jon grinned up at him in relief. “Thank you so-”

Damian turned away from him, and threw the Kryptonite as far as he could.

“Damian!” Jon screamed, even as he turned back. His eyes were sad and angry and tired. “How could you! That’s the _only thing_ that will-”

“It’s okay.” Damian repeated softly, bringing both hands up to hold Jon’s face once more. “It’ll be okay.”

Jon whimpered, but finally stopped arguing. Just stared up into Damian’s face. 

“Just take a deep breath for me. Now another. And another. Good.”  Damian soothed. With every breath, Jon slumped more and more against him. When he felt Jon’s nose brush against his throat, he shifted his hands. One to wrap around Jon’s lower back, and the other digging into another pocket on his belt. “I’ll fix everything, Jon. Everything will be fine.”

And before Jon could say anything, Damian plunged a dart into his neck. 

Jon jerked only once before his knees buckled. Damian took his whole weight, holding him as tightly as he could as the wind picked up for a brief second, before starting to die down completely.

“This won’t take you from me.” Damian whispered, kissing Jon’s temple, watching his green light fade, and the wind disappear. “I won’t let it.”

“Da…Damian…” Jon slurred as he lost consciousness. Damian glanced behind him once more, found Lois and Bruce quickly dragging Clark towards the barn, where Damian knew a transporter to the Watchtower was. Bruce looked back towards them, too. Watched until Jon’s ability seemed to disappear all together, then nodded once, before continuing to get his friends to safety. 

Damian nodded back, and turned all of his focus back to Jon.

“Everything will be okay. Everything will be fine.” He promised softly as he shifted Jon to get an arm under his knees and lift him. Slowly, he moved towards the car, ignoring the Kryptonite he threw, glowing nearby. He didn’t need it. He didn’t _want_ it.

He heard the zap of the transporter as he reached the Batmobile and carefully opened the door to place Jon in the passenger seat.

“I’ve got you, Beloved.” One more kiss to his forehead as he buckled him in, and jogged around the car to get into the driver’s seat. He watched the other as he started the engine, and did a few quick checks. Finally he sighed, and looked to the road as he slammed his foot onto the gas. “You’re safe now.”


End file.
